Jacob Shanker is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Hamilton High School for AZPreps365

Hamilton girls volleyball team start off quickly against Basha and won in a three-set sweep Tuesday on 6A Premier Region action.

A sweep is hard to come by in the Premier. The Huskies pulled it off 25-16, 25-15, and 25-12.

“Our region is tough, every night is tough, " Hamilton coach Sharon Vanis said. "We gotta be prepared to perform every night.” 

Vanis has always emphasized being prepared for games which allowed the Huskies to get to a hot streak quickly. Sophomore Hailey Johnston started the match off with an ace.

Throughout most of the first set, junior Raegan Richardson and sophomore Nia Curry used their strength and awareness to help push the Huskies to a 20-9 run. 

Richardson and Curry were able to move in a great rhythm with Curry being the team leader in kills.

All game long, Richardson and Curry had been able to bounce off of each other, almost seemingly like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

Senior Karlly Dillard's blocking ability was in full use all game as she was able to take advantage of mistakes from Basha. 

Dillard's trying to make the most of her final senior year and is already thinking about what life will be like afte her Hamilton will miss the most.

“My team," she said when asked about what she will miss the most. "Being with them just makes me so happy, and also the competitive spirit at Hamilton.”

The Huskies' bond as a team was evident throughout the whole match as they had displayed great communication all game.

The strong communication runs beyond the starters and is instilled in the rest of the team. When junior Haley SanDiego stepped into the game she was able to hit an ace on her first serve. 

After a rough start to the game, Basha's coaches called a timeout which resulted in a short run that cut the deficit to 12. 

“Be aggressive and play our kind of volleyball,” Basha assistant coach Alissa Morgan said. “...staying relaxed as well.”

But even with this run, Hamilton was still able to win the first set as it won 25-16.

At the start of the second set, Hamilton and Basha had gone back and forth as Hamilton started to turn the ball over.

Richardson had been one of the best offensive players throughout the entire match as she was able to show her control of power perfectly.

Sophomore Karsyn Harris and sophomore Maris Mauzey were bringing great support off the bench. Mauzey, 6-foot, and Harris, 5-foot-10 inches, were able to use their height to their advantage by getting multiple blocks off of Basha. 

Dillard's excellent offensive play was able to help put the Huskies another 20-9 run. 

As Basha started to get another run going, it was not enough as Hamilton won the set with a score of 25-15.

The last set was much of the same as Basha would try and get something going but were unsuccessful. Hamilton would eventually win the final set with a final score of 25-12 off of great plays from Richardson.

“I think the change we would like to see is just playing a bit more calm,” Morgan said, “but we are still gonna maintain the aggression and trying to stay calm.”